It was a red Toyota Cressida that hit me

A YOUNG boy has spoken for the first time to the media after he was critically injured when he was dragged underneath a car for two blocks on Carnival Tuesday. He was able to identify the type of car which struck him while he stood at Green Corner, Port-of-Spain.  Bystanders say the red car was driven by a police officer but police investigating the accident have made no headway. Jovelle Caesar is slowly beginning to recover and  remembers the terrible  accident which almost cost him his life. He sustained two broken legs, a broken arm and a collapsed lung.

Speaking to Sunday Newsday from his bed in the Surgical Ward of the Paediatric Hospital at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, 11-year-old Jovelle said he has vivid memories of the incident, including nightmarish flashbacks at night. “I think of it sometimes at night, and I get a little mess up,” he said. Jovelle recalled that he was standing in a large crowd at Green Corner, along with other members of  his family, when he was “bounced down” by a red Toyota Cressida.

However, he did not see the number plate on the vehicle. “I remember what happened, and I don’t think he meant to hit me,” he said, adding that the car was driving fast through the crowd. “It was a red car and one of the front lights was missing.” Jovelle told Sunday Newsday: “He came through and hit me. I remember it was dark underneath the car and I was spinning.” After that, Jovelle lost consciousness. He was revived by persons on the scene who came to his assistance. He suffered two broken legs, a broken arm, and a collapsed lung and spent several weeks on a respirator in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit.

Although he is now off the respirator and has started eating solid foods, Jovelle is still in a serious condition with both legs, an arm and his torso still in casts. He told Sunday Newsday he is longing for the day when he is released from hospital. “I am lonely at night and I miss my family, and the places I used to be,” he said. “I pray to God at night and I ask him to forgive me, and help me to go home to my family. I also pray for the nurses and the doctors, but I am lonely.” Jovelle’s mother, Janice Joseph, is hoping for assistance and justice for her son. There are still no suspects in the matter and investigations into the accident are continuing. Sgt LeCointe of the Central Police Station is spearheading investigations.